Accomplishments

OUR FIVE-YEAR ACHIEVEMENT RECORD

Cambodia's Hope is celebrating our five-year anniversary, meeting children's needs in Cambodia since 2003. Our triumphs are many and every donor owns a part of the following accomplishments of the past five years.

FACILITIES' DEVELOPMENT

• started Palm Tree Center (PTC) pre-school
  The pre-school is open to the surrounding neighborhood and attended by 20 children
• installed water treatment facilities
• purchased property/real estate to expand PTC
  This purchase allowed us to build more classrooms, dormitories, and new kitchen facilities. The expansion enabled us to increase our support from 33 orphans to 94 orphans.
• purchased additional real estate
  This land is adjacent to the Palm Tree Orphanage in Phnom Penh.
• purchased and equipped a farm in 2004
  We named this farm The Palm Tree Farm, and it is the center of our farm project. We continue to support farm initiatives, including rice and bamboo planting and a cow/calf operation.
• purchased animals for the farm project
  We purchased 20 cows and several chickens.
• built an on-site medical clinic
  The clinic is staffed by a medical technician.
• completed construction/remodeling in main building
  We converted the main floor to a boys' dorm, added a shower facility, added 4 second-floor classrooms, and a third-floor learning center.
• remodeled the villa
  The villa now includes a girls' dorm, a new kitchen, a covered outdoor dining area, and areas for arts/crafts and sewing.
• furnished three volunteer rooms
  We now have three dedicated rooms at the Palm Tree Orphanage to house volunteers during their stay.

HEALTH

• secured yearly medical check-ups
  Our 94 Palm Tree children will have now have basic yearly medical & dental check-ups

EDUCATION

• ongoing support for 6 pre-schools
  We support/direct 6 pre-schools, including a neighborhood school that serves 195 children.
• ongoing support for 350 students
  We provide ongoing support to a total of 350 students attending school (pre-school through university)
• ongoing supplemental education through volunteer assistance
  To date, we have had a total of 27 volunteers who have spent anywhere from 2 weeks to 12 months at the PTC, assisting children in English classes, recreation, hygiene and health.

ARTS/RECREATION

• initiated ceramics teaching program
  We have the privilege of having the last remaining Khmer ceramics artisan in the country instructing our children.
• implemented music and dance program
  We have advanced an extensive music and cultural dance program for orphans.
• coordinated ongoing field trips
  Bi-monthly, we organize cultural, educational and recreational field trips for the orphans. Through these trips, over 150 children and staff have visited the inspirational Angkor Wat, the soul of Khmer culture. And over 300 children now know the joy of a water park, and the bliss of playing and camping at the beach!
• built volleyball/play court
• purchased bicycles for every child
  Every child at Palm Tree has their own bike! We were able to accomplish this in in conjunction with www.88bikes.com

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

• coordinated support for orphans "leaving the nest"
  We were proud to help secure housing and work opportunities for three older orphans who have recently married.
• supported higher education for PTC staff
  We supported 14 staff to attend university with paid tuition; our PTC director Mr. Pole earned his bachelor's degree!

OUTREACH

• rescued a family of seven orphans
  We were able to rescure these orphans who were in indentured servitude in their village after their father died of AIDS and their mother died of liver cancer.
• reached out to orphanages in other districts
  We've made visits to orphans in other districts, bringing meals and gifts for them.

FUNDRAISING

• secured continuing financial support for daily PTC operating needs
  We've raised sufficient funds since 2003 to have maintained uninterrupted support in these five years for the basic needs for our 94 orphaned children as well as the 25 staff at Palm Tree Center (PTC). This includes housing, nutrition, medical, education, cultural and recreation needs.
• secured matching funds for our new Alphabet Soup Program
  With our Alphabet Soup Program, we will build schools to give children in the poverty-stricken outlying provinces of Cambodia access to both a free education and a hearty soup meal for fundamental nutrition. We are proud to have an anonymous matching donor supporting the effort.

FOUNDATION INFRASTRUCTURE

• launched new web site
  We launched our new site in the spring of 2008, with the capability to receive online donations. We also implemented e-newsletter updates.
• forged collaborations/partnerships with other organizations
  We have collaborated on projects with Semester At Sea, PCB Supply, 88bikes, local schools in the U.S., the Cambodian Children's Assistance Network, Follet Textbook Co, and more!
• launched a volunteer program
  We have a Volunteer Coordinator on staff, and are proud to recieve hundreds of weeks of volunteer service every year, both in the U.S. and in Cambodia. Our volunteers donate their skills as English teachers, bookkeepers, attentive caregivers, Unique Boutique helpers, and more.